Election betting flips following opinion poll
Harris Tumbles In Popularity
Irish punters are going cold on the prospect of Simon Harris returning as Taoiseach after the general election , with bookie BoyleSports now making Micheál Martin the new favourite at 4/6 from 11/8.
A new Irish Times/Ipsos B&A Poll released on Monday made worrying reading for the Fine Gael leader as his party’s support dropped six points to 19%, putting them third in the popularity stakes with just days to go before the votes are cast.
Fianna Fáil Lead The Polls
The poll puts Fianna Fáil in the lead following a two point increase to 21% and the betting markets are also trending in favour of the party returning with most seats after the votes are tallied. Fianna Fáil have now been gambled into 8/11 favourites from 5/4 with BoyleSports to top the seat count, while Fine Gael’s odds are going in reverse for the first time as they were eased to 13/8 from 8/11.
Harris is now available at odds of 7/4 to be the Taoiseach after the election having been an odds-on favourite last week at 10/11.
Sinn Fein Clear Fine Gael
Sinn Féin were clipped into 5/1 from 8/1 to win most seats following the publication of the latest opinion poll, which puts them one point clear of Fine Gael and just one point behind Fianna Fáil. Mary Lou McDonald remains third favourite in the Taoiseach race, although her chances have now been gambled into 11/2 from 8/1 as the betting heats up in the final days of the campaign.
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports said
Simon Harris was a bullish favourite when he called the election, but he’ll be getting the jitters if he looks at the latest betting. This is the most significant shift in the odds since the campaign kicked off and they suggest a timely boost for Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.
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